1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods used to manage networked computer and automatic data processing (ADP) resources.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that there are many network architectures and protocols that are used to couple and connect computer and automatic data processing (ADP) resources. No single network architecture or protocol is suited to address all network and data processing needs in a complete and robust way. As such, many data processing environments include variant network systems, devices, and processes which allow data communications via a corresponding number of protocols, etc. As a result, managing and monitoring such diverse network environments for system performance, fault tolerance, device efficiency, etc, to deliver effective and efficient support and maintenance has presented serious problems for organizations involved in network management and service provisioning.
To address such problems, data processing and network operation centers typically implement a variety of individual network management and monitoring systems to support the diversity in their networks, systems, devices, processes, and protocols. In fact, data processing centers often have to implement a distinct management and monitoring system for each network subsystem that operates based on a distinct protocol or which communicates in a corresponding particular way. Unfortunately, such problems are exacerbated by the fact that many network elements and subsystems utilize specialized, non-standard, and sometimes proprietary communications protocols that prevent conventional coupling to other standards-based networks. As such, it has become quite difficult to effectively and efficiently support and maintain a collection of stand-alone and fragmented network management and monitoring systems.
With each management and monitoring system that must be implemented to support a diverse networked data processing environment, organizations are faced with training employees in the use and operation of set of support systems. As such, training personnel relative to a variety of management and monitoring systems can be costly, time consuming, and wasteful of organizational resources. In particular, it is quite common that a single person must be trained to support, manage, and monitor a number of different systems, each of which possessing different management process, procedure, and presentation.
As a result, the lack of a consistent presentation platform that provides an unified view for managing computing resources across network technologies and services often leads to negative impacts on quality of network services, support response times, and business goals and revenues.
Thus, there exists a need to provide new and improved systems and methods that facilitate managing and monitoring of network resources via a common communications platform. Such new and improved systems must allow network resources, systems, devices, and processes to be coupled to a communications platform that will consolidate operational type data such as system and application performance data received via variant protocols and processes, parsed for particular management related information (e.g., central processing unit statistics, etc.), and reformatted and transmitted to a management and monitoring system for appropriate downstream processing. To be viable, such systems and methods must facilitate standardized communications without hindering other network subsystem processes and performance.
The aforementioned problems associated with managing and monitoring resources within a networked data processing environment are squarely addressed by the present invention. The present invention allows network resources, systems, devices, and processes to be coupled to a communications platform that will consolidate operational type data such as system and application performance data received via variant protocols and processes, parsed for particular management related information (e.g., central processing unit statistics, etc.), and reformatted and transmitted to a management and monitoring system for appropriate downstream processing. As such, systems and methods provided by the present invention facilitate standardized communications without hindering other network subsystem processes and performance.
Several benefits over prior systems and methods used to manage and monitor networked data processing environments are realized by the present invention. For example, networks including systems, devices, and processes that communicate via variant and often proprietary protocols may be coupled to a common communications agent or facility that consolidates operational data (e.g., system and application performance data, etc.) received from such variant network resources and reformats the same based on a standardized format and/or protocol. As such, organizations involved in network administration can train personnel on a single network management and monitoring system without requiring knowledge of particular underlying communications protocols and other system operating parameters. As a result, such organizations can reduce costs associated with network administration and can provide network support more effectively and in less time.
To achieve the aforementioned benefits, the present invention provides systems and methods for managing multiple network resources that include and involve a plurality of communications modules configured to communicate with a corresponding plurality of systems and network resources. Each network resource is configured to generate operational data related to processing therein and to transmit that operational data based on a particular protocol. The systems and methods also include and involve an extraction module configured to communicate with the communications modules based on each particular protocol thereof to receive the operational data from the plurality of network resources, to extract management data from the operational data, and to transmit the management data. An interface module is also included and involved which is configured to receive the management data from the extraction module, to generate standardized data based on the management data and, possibly, based on a standard protocol, and to transmit such standardized data to an external or other system for appropriate processing (e.g., network management and monitoring processing, etc.).